The Case Of The Raving Racer

摘要

A chicago-area drag racing team decided torn"go pro" by upgrading its car from a time handicapped "bracket racer" to run in all-out races.rnThese racers lightened their car and installed a new camshaft, new cylinder heads and a new carburetor. Like many auto racers of every class and type over the past 100 years, they chose to defy the adage, "to make a small fortune in racing, you must start with a large fortune."rnModifications complete, they readied to go to the track. Firing up, they eased down the driveway from a rented garage to their trailer. On the street, the driver decided to do a tire-smoking burnout. The driver lifted his foot from the accelerator, but the car continued to surge forward at full throttle, overcoming the car's brakes. Just missing the trailer, the car veered toward the curb. The car ran across a lawn striking a neighbor who came out to see the racers' antics. The car then struck the injured man's house and stopped.rnThe injured man was hospitalized and the racers were ticketed. The smashed car was returned to their rented garage. The injured man sued, citing the race team for negligent vehicle operation, and the manufacturer of the carburetor, citing negligent design of the throttle system. I was retained to inspect the vehicle to determine the cause of the accident.